Golf-club shaft



e. E. NICHOLLS GOLF CLUB SHAFT F'il-ed March 11. 1927 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

p2ifticularly :for use in golf clubs; ancl the object of this inventiohis to prov'ide a golf Patentecl Apr. 26, 1927.

UN{ET ED STATES GIL13ERT E. NICHOLLS, 013 EDGEWOD, 'RHODE ISLAND,ASSIGNOR T0 TEE SWINGRITE PATENT 00., um, 01 PROVIDENCE, RHOI ETISLAND AGRPOR-A'IION OF EI7IOD E ISLAND.

' GOLF-CLUB SHAF'I.

Tl1is invention 1elateS t0 an improved comstruction of wooden shaftcles1gned more club slhaft eomposeclof 21'p1u1etlity 0f sec- 1:i0ns ofclifferent ma"cerials laid side -by side theffiexibility of the sectionsof one ma't9rial material b ing positi0ned*oi1 the front Ceiiter' frontcent0i"line 0f the shaft so as to render tion.

With th'es'e a'nd ot-her objects in' view, the

in-Ve1'1tion co nsists 0f certain 110v61 featuiez of 'c'onstr'uefii0n,as will be 'rnore fully deseiibed, jaild. partiularhfpbinted out in thea1iipaflded *0latims.

In the accompanying d'r2m'vving's: "Figre'l is a Perspe0tiVe viev'v'of;a golf club having a shaftof my;jmprovecl 0011- struction andsh0wing the -strip 0f softer material positioned 'along the fr0nt centerline of the shaft. 1

Figure 2 is a top view looking at the end 015 the shaft ancl showing thehickory section as shaded and in'line with the central axis through thehead.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of one of the bamboosections of the shaft. V

Figure 4 is a perspective view 0f a portion of the hickory section 0:Ethe shaft.

It is f0unol in thebuilding of a, sectional golf shaft desirable toprovide sonne means by which itsflexibility may be nicely deter minedand eontrolled within certain limits so that ehe desirecl stiffness ofthe different more whippy 01 flexible than others; and it is found byexpert-s in handling shafts of tl1is character that where a shaft isbuilt up entirely of bamboo strips, it is t00 stiff for themajority '0fplayers anc'l that it' requires one 01 more strips or sections 01 asofter material t0 give lhe required f eel t0 tl1e Club t0 satisfy=there'cwireine1its. --In s'oitie stan0es, 'it is fountl =tha t jstth edeSited amount of flexibility is' built ihto aj s-hzt'ftif all of thesections are made of ba'1'nbod'with ar'nountfof flexibility maybefbu'ilt into 1i-l10.

s'h2ift: With refe'rence to the dfawings, 10 designates the shsyft 01 agolf cl i1b hzWifig ahead 11 Which may be of woodior metal;as;isdes1recl, the bod7 of tliesliftlpoftibn being much m0re limber orflexible than bamboo.

In orcler to vary the stiflness of the 0111b,

it is found of adVanfag6 to plaee a Single strip or section of hickory.along the front center lin e 17 0f the shaft, as illustrated,

which gives a little m0re feel t0 the club than as though allthesectionswere made of ba1nboo, that is, if all of the sections were macleof bamboo the shaft W0u1d be too stiif for the majority of players butby inserting a single section 0f hickory the sliaft is ren- .dered alittle more flexible 0r just enough to give the desired Whip to the clubfor most layers. If the shaft is too flexible 0x whippy the hed incoming clown 011 a driving stroke Springs backward and Will give a slicet0 tl1e ball, While il:' the shaft is toostifl it lacks clrivingp0werancl, the ball is not driven so far as when the shaft possesses 90bereut strength and flexibility and. which is exactly the proper Wlfipo1 flexibility. By 2. A shaft for golf clubs comprising a plurality 0f'sec'tions of bamboo anal a Single placing this more flexible section ofhickory on tl1e front center line of the Club, I 0bcain tl1eflexibilitiy 01 whippy efiect in that clirectin leaving the stiffer 01less flexible sections 011 the sides t0 reslst the driving impact of theClub With the ball, tl1us re- From tl1e foregoing it Will be seen tl1atI have provided nov elmiaans for permitting a certain amount 0fflexibility or whip in tl1e golf club shaft in the fo1ward direction andat the same time have preservecl the necessary stifl'ness of the shaftin the other direction 110 assist in resisting the =driving impact onthe ball.

The foregoing description is clireccedv solely towarcls the constructionillustrated,

but I desire it to be understood that I reserve the privilege ofresorting 130 all the mechanical changes to Whicl1 the device issusceptible the invention being definecl and limited onlyby the terms ofthe appended claims. In my co-pending patent application Serial -No.174,469 mat'uring into a patent of even clte herewith I have broader'.and 'more plurality of sections of bamboo;ahd a Single section of wood053 a different text urej all cemented together, the 'said Single setionbeing positioned on the front enter line of the shaft, the seCtions ofsaidtwo diflei ent woods having adjacent surfaces in planes pas;ingsubstafltially thru the axis of the sha section 01: hickory allcementeol together, y

Hie hickorysecti on being po sitionecl to extend along tl1e front centerline ofthe shaft, the seclzions of Said two different woods haV ingacl]acent surfaces in Planes passing subcluc1ng the tort1on 0r tw1st1ngeflect of the" 'head.

stantially thru t-he axis ofthe shaft.

3; A shaft for golf clubs comprising a plurality 0f sections of one kind0f Wood of a ce'rtain fleXibility ancl afsingle section of another kindof W00d having a relatively 0 different inherent flexibility, said' tvvodifferent woocls being cemented together, the single section beingpositioned to exten l along the front centr line of the Shaft t0 control its fieXibility in that direction, the

sections 0f said two different woods having adjacent s1'1rfaces in lanespassing substantially thru the axis 0f the shaft.

4. A golf club comprisihg a shaft, a head member 011 the Workingendofthe shaft,

said shaft comprising a plu:gulity of sections of one kind of Wood'of aprecletermined flexibility, and a singfle section of another kinclofW0Od ofa relativ6lydifferent inhererit fiexibility, the sections 0f saidtw0 'different woods being c eme'ntd togethe r thesingle section beingpositioned to extend a long the front enter line'-of the shaf't andsubstantially in line wi th the cntral axis through thehead, thesections of said tWodiflferent woods having adjacentsurfa'ces in planespassing substantiallythru the axis .of 3the' shaft.

' GILBERT E. NICHOLLS.

